Liar
by GhostlyMayhem
Summary: "Your father rejected me by falling in love with her. In the end, she rejected him for her subjects." Queen Chrysalis discovers Screwball's secret, but instead of a punishment, Chrysalis shares a few words with the captive mare; some of which are personal. One-shot. AU AU AU.


**...**

**Liar**

_"The more people you love, the weaker you are... You will do things for them, that you know you shouldn't do. You'll act a fool to make them happy, to keep them safe. Love no one but your children. On that front a mother has no choice."_

_**- Cersei Lannister,**__**"Game of Thrones"**_

**...**

"Do you think I'm a fool, little one?"

It came out simply as an amused whisper, but the shaken mare before Queen Chrysalis took the question as a demand; a threat hidden in context, somewhere between the eight words spoken. Screwball quickly shook her head. "N-no, of course not-"

"-You don't think I know your little secret?" Chrysalis' voice rose a bit as she ripped her icy gaze away from those fearful spiral eyes staring back at her. "About what you've been hiding in there-" with a hoof, she pointed at Screwball's rounded belly. "-for the last seven months?"

Taking a shaky breath, Screwball lowered her head, eyes filling to the brim with tears of fear and shame. _I'm sorry,_ she thought, hoping that somehow, someway, her unborn son could hear her unspoken words from where he rested inside her. Those two words repeated itself over and over as she waited for the Queen to sentence her to death, or a torturous form of physical punishment where she'd be begging to die. _Please,_ she begged silently to whatever deity would listen._ Please keep my son alive and safe. If she must kill me, let her; but only once my baby born. If I have to die to let him live, I will gladly do it._

_Please... Please... Please..._

"...please..."

Chrysalis watched with growing amusement as the frightened mare whispered that one word, that one plea, over and over in a litany of terror rather than a prayer. Giving a small, satisfied smile, the Mother Changeling decided to finally speak. "Luckily I still have much use for you, little one. And because I know who the father obviously is..." her smile didn't flatten nor deepen. "...in a way..." she stood up from her dark throne, taking a few steps toward Screwball. She rose a hoof up, gently placing it against the purple mare's belly. "...that makes me a grandmother. Because you're carrying a child that will have changeling blood in it's veins. Maybe even some magic. And every changeling you see-" with her other hoof, Chrysalis motioned toward the few changelings surrounding them; the few changelings which were the equivalent of a Queen's small group of royal guards. "-is a part of me. In a way I am their mother, except they did not rest in my stomach."

When Chrysalis placed her hoof on Screwball's belly, the mare had cringed at the cold touch and involuntarily took a step back. Once she was done speaking, Chrysalis' satisfied smile grew. "I'm not going to hurt you. You are our guest, after all."

"How am I your guest when you treat me like a prisoner?" The angered question blurted out past her lips before Screwball could stop herself. Her eyes widened, and she took another step back. "I-I'm so sorry-"

"-Like I said before," Chrysalis began, cutting off the mare's apology. "You are of use to me, little one." She lowered her gaze. "Do you know why you are here?"

"I... I came into your territory," Screwball recalled, confused as to where Chrysalis was going at with her question.

"That was a factor at first, yes." Chrysalis nodded. "But that's not the exact reason why. Had you been anypony else, I would have had you executed immediately for wandering into our lands. But when I found out who your father was..." She took a threatening step forward. "I just couldn't resist keeping you alive."

"But..." the purple mare nearly trailed off, almost unable to speak as the Queen's words sank in. "...my dad was turned to stone for eternity by the two princesses..."

"You don't think I know that?" Still smiling, Chrysalis shook her head, glancing back up at Screwball, narrowing her eyes in disdain. "...you silly, little fool. Do you know nothing about love?"

_Of course I do,_ Screwball thought, but refused to speak the words aloud in fear of a punishment. She did know love, better than Queen Chrysalis did, or so she thought. Screwball loved her father, and loved _her_ changeling, her_ lover._ "...I... I loved my dad-"

"-And Celestia loved him, too." Chrysalis' smile darkened. "It won't take long before she finally gives in and brings Discord back."

Screwball blinked, the new information sinking in. She never would have guessed that Princess Celestia of all ponies had once loved her father. She was never aware of this, but maybe it was kept from her for a reason. At least, not until now. _It won't take long before she finally gives in and brings Discord back._ Screwball perked up at the possibility of her father's return. "Will she really bring him back?" the mare asked with hopefulness and an almost child-like enthusiasm.

"Celestia is a very forgiving princess," Chrysalis answered, her stare drifting off, almost lost in thought as she spoke. "Very merciful. In all her years of ruling, she has yet to execute anypony who does wrong. She prefers _'lighter'_ sentences, such as turning your father to stone. She could have killed him if she wanted, and do you know why she didn't?"

"...because she loved him..."

"And he loved her," Chrysalis continued, lowering her voice until her words were barely above a whisper which lingered with a coldness and hatred as she reflected on her past. "You see, little one... It may seem as though I'm cold and heartless, but I did love once. Only once."

Screwball didn't respond.

Chrysalis' smile hardened into a cold scowl. "I loved your father. I don't know why, and I don't know if it was just lust, but something about your father drew me in... The way he acted, or maybe the way he used his chaotic magic. Either way, I loved him from afar. But he rejected me by falling in love with Celestia." Her smile returned, barely noticeable as her eyes softened with a demented glee. "...In the end, she rejected him for her subjects. And that was what lead to his downfall." Chrysalis watched the mare with intent, and with a glint in her eyes, she stepped forward, placing her hoof under Screwball's chin, lifting the mare's soft face. "You're a pretty little thing... So... innocent and precious... just like Celestia. That's why your father loved her and loved you. You both have a light in your eyes. A light that I don't have." A hint of malice became visible in Chrysalis' eyes as she hit Screwball across face with her hoof, causing the mare to cry out, stumbling back. "But you are also stupid and foolish. She may be mating with one of my changelings, but you will _never_ know true love, and you will_ never_ feel such heartbreak as I have. The heartbreak _your_ father gave me when he choose Celestia."

Shaking, Screwball slowly turned back toward Queen Chrysalis, feeling blood trickling from the side of her mouth from where she was hit. Her spiral eyes were wide and fearful as she stared at the Queen Changeling, yet they also held a hint of loathing.

Chrysalis grinned scornfully, watching as the mare gathered herself and stood before her once more. "The more people you love, little one... The weaker you are. Look what love did to your father and Celestia. It lead to his downfall, and her eternity of guilt for turning him to stone in the first place." Her grin softened. "...but your father loved you, just as you love your unborn child. A parent's love is eternal, I will admit. I love my changelings, though I personally am never completely upset when one of them dies because I know I can always make many more." She paused briefly, thinking her next words over carefully. "But you're about to become a mother in just four months... you will do anything for your child once it's born."

"Anything," Screwball agreed, nodding quickly.

"...Which is exactly why I have left you alive. I know Celestia will decide to release Discord soon, and once she does, he will find out I am keeping you here. And because a parent's love is eternal, he will do anything to get you get back. Especially now that you're caring a grandchild." Chrysalis smiled with intent, eager for the near future. "He will try to save you, and when he does… I will have him at my very will. He will do _anything,_ and I will make sure to hold him to that." She stepped forward toward Screwball, who stepped away from her instinctively. Chrysalis chuckled, "Until that day comes, little one, you are my prisoner; my own personal pet. I feed you, give you a little water to keep you hydrated, then lock you back up in your little cage for the remainder of the day. You will give birth to your child in the darkness of your cage, with no medical help to lessen the pain, just like the animals of the forest do… Hopefully Celestia frees Discord before that happens. Otherwise it'll be bad luck on your part."

Screwball's early fear from the first few months of her pregnancy came back, slamming into her conscious mind. Wearily, she glanced down at the floor, frightful and worried for the near future, and of what world her son would be born into in just a matter of months.

Chrysalis turned to the other changelings. "Take our pet back to her cage for the night." They nodded quickly in response, rushing forward and leading the immortal, magic-less daughter of chaos out of sight. The Mother Changeling watched her little pet go, and a small, amused smirk appeared on her face.

_I fear you won't be with us much longer, little one._

* * *

**A/N: Okay, because season 3 of Game Of Thrones is starting on March 31st, I've been catching up on the other two seasons to refresh my memory. And, well, I was inspired to write this little one-shot, simply because I decided to base the relationship between Chrysalis and Screwball on the relationship of Sansa Stark and Cersei Lannister (hence why Chrysalis said a few words similar to words spoken to Sansa by Cersei. And the quote I used at the beginning of the story is a quote from Cersei Lannister to Sansa Stark in episode 7, season 2.**

**Yup. Big fan of MLP and GoT, and decided to mildly combine the two, in a way.**

**This is AU, so the timeline is up to you to decide. Hence AU.**

**Yup. Please review if you liked it! :)**


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